AFC Playoff Teams

[SDGuy73]

Kubiak wants to finish at 9-7. Closing with a final loss and 8-8 could cost Kubiak his job. If the Broncos lose, Elway may think that he lost control of the team. That would be bad for Elway's persona also.

Without Carr to operate the Raiders offense, the Broncos may be able to score enough and the Broncos defense keep the Raiders from scoring mush. 19-10 Broncos. The chiefs will beat the Chargers and move to #2.

I don't think Matt Moore will beat the Patriots in Miami.

I think the Steelers will visit the Chiefs and the Texans will visit the Patriots.

If I had to bet...........Chiefs and Patriots for the AFC Championship in Foxboro.

No chance Kubiak gets fired. They just need a couple pieces and they'll be back. I believe they have a ton of cap room. @cdumler7 can confirm that.

I hope you are right about Miami. It's rarely easy their. Brady is 6-8 in Miami.

Chiefs/Steelers at Pats for the AFCCG will be a fun watch.

If we get to the SB....The NFC offences are big time. No one in the AFC is as close that the Pats will face.

 

[NWPATSFAN]

No chance Kubiak gets fired. They just need a couple pieces and they'll be back. I believe they have a ton of cap room. @cdumler7 can confirm that.

I hope you are right about Miami. It's rarely easy their. Brady is 6-8 in Miami.

Chiefs/Steelers at Pats for the AFCCG will be a fun watch.

If we get to the SB....The NFC offences are big time. No one in the AFC is as close that the Pats will face.

There were rumors about Kubiac's health which may come into play?

 

[cdumler7]

No chance Kubiak gets fired. They just need a couple pieces and they'll be back. I believe they have a ton of cap room. @cdumler7 can confirm that.

I hope you are right about Miami. It's rarely easy their. Brady is 6-8 in Miami.

Chiefs/Steelers at Pats for the AFCCG will be a fun watch.

If we get to the SB....The NFC offences are big time. No one in the AFC is as close that the Pats will face.

Few things here...

1) There are 2 reasons that Kubiak could possibly not be the HC of the Broncos after this season. The first being his health and the team and Kubiak both agreeing it is time for him to step down. The other is I know Elway is not exactly happy with the coaching staff on the offensive side of the ball. He feels like they haven't done a good job developing the young players up to this point. So if Elway comes to Kubiak and tells him it is time to move on from some of these guys Kubiak could decide it is time for him to move on too because some of these guys have been with him every step of the way. Rick Dennison the OC is the big one. If he gets fired good chance Kubiak is going with him out of loyalty.

2) The cap is a bit difficult to figure out at this point. We don't officially know how much it is going up. We don't know how much in game bonuses have to be handed out (although with missing the playoffs probably not much for the Broncos as many are tied to playoff success). As of right now the Broncos are looking like they will carry over $7 million in cap space from this season.

For 2017 based on the cap going up around $11 million the Broncos would have $30 million + the $7 million in carry over. Not sure which players they might think about cutting. Also realize that $30 million include Russell Okung getting the 2nd half of his contract with the Broncos that will pay him quite a bit of money. Most think in Denver he doesn't see that money though. So that would add another $12 million to the cap figure. Also not quite sure what they do with Aqib Talib as he has the 3rd highest cap hit on the team but is starting to creep up in age.

The good thing for the Broncos is they have pretty much every major player that was set to hit the market this year already locked up. So then next will be which ERFA's and RFA's do they want to keep and at what value. Then factor in about $5-7 million for the draft class and another $5-7 million in just emergency money for the season.

Cap wise they look to be sitting very well where they can bring in a couple of big impact type players (hopefully for the OL) and then a couple of middle of the road FA signings.

 

[BigKen]

Back to the playoff teams.

I heard yesterday that the Patriots took off for Miami this morning hoping to avoid any potential hang ups with the winter storm streaking across New England as I type. Being there for an extra day might help with adjustment to the warm weather and humidity.

Belichick announced Wednesday that the Patriots would be returning home Sunday night and would practice on the outdoor fields behind Gillette in full pads everyday to get fully prepared for any weather come Divisional Weekend.

Teams and their home field weather patterns.

New England......This team has played in cold, rain and wind so far. No snow yet, but they have practiced in a snowstorm. They play their first p-layoff game at home in whatever nature brings to Foxboro.

Oakland......They have played in the rain and cool weather but not in extreme weather of any kind. Could be playing at home in the comfortable confines of Oakland, CA. It could be rainy and windy. If they lose this Sunday, they could be playing on the road, most likely Houston.

Kansas City........Chiefs have played in rain, heat, and bitter cold, but not in snow. Chiefs could be in Houston next week or they could be home in Arrowhead. If they're home it could be 65 degrees or 15 degrees and 60 MPH winds. Just never know.

Pittsburgh..........Steelers have played in cool weather and rain but not snow or bitter cold. Steelers will be home at Heinz and right now all signs point to Miami being their opponent. They're used to the weather at home.

Houston ............They have not played in any extreme weather at all. They get to play their first playoff game indoors in a friendly environment.

Miami..... As the Wildcard, Miami has to go somewhere other than their own field. All signs point to Pittsburgh for a date with the Steelers. Miami hasn't had to pay in foul weather or cold this year. Being a newbie to the playoffs, in an away game and possibly in inclement weather isn't a great way to begin a Super Bowl quest.

Barring any snow or rain at any location, teams will have to deal with the environment. Most likely the worst cold and wind will be at Gillette. Kansas City probably is next worst, followed by Pittsburgh. Everywhere else is pretty much temperate and without precipitation would be decent.

At least the Wildcard Games will have interest for the Bye teams.

 

[TP76]

Broncos - TJ Ward, Wolfe out - B Marshall Questionable

Looking like the Broncos will be resting the guys who are banged up.

Winning in Miami looks like a must.

 

[CreepCreep2014]

Looking like no MM this week. Heavy dose of Floyd coming up. I also think we see some Jimmy if things go as planned.

 

[TP76]

Looking like no MM this week. Heavy dose of Floyd coming up. I also think we see some Jimmy if things go as planned.

The way Brady has played in Miami over the years... kinda hoping Jimmy starts.

 

[NWPATSFAN]

The way Brady has played in Miami over the years... kinda hoping Jimmy starts.

I have a good feeling about this meeting. Brady has a good game sits in the 3rd qtr.
Go Pats

 

[NWPATSFAN]

On a positive note for week 17, Cyrus Jones listed as Out
unfortunately this could mean more punt returns for Edelman

 

[BigKen]

It appears that the #2 and #5 have changed. The Chiefs get the byue and will host the highest remaining seed and the Patriots will get the lowest. After losing to the Patriots, the Dolphins will travel to Pittsburgh next weekend and the Raiders will travel to Houston.

1. New England Patriots
2. Kansas City Chiefs
3. Pittsburgh Steelers
4. Houston Texans
5. Oakland Raiders
6. Miami Dolphins

My prediction is that Pittsburgh will travel to Kansas City and whoever survives the game in Houston will go to Foxboro. The Texans looked lost and disorganized today and the Raiders just can't seem to to do anything offensively without Carr at quarterback.

Pittsburgh/ KC will be brutal. I think this one will be "Last Man Standing". Winner gets to play the Patriots in Foxboro after a week in the Trainer's Room.

 

[PatsFanInColtsCountry]

It appears that the #2 and #5 have changed. The Chiefs get the byue and will host the highest remaining seed and the Patriots will get the lowest. After losing to the Patriots, the Dolphins will travel to Pittsburgh next weekend and the Raiders will travel to Houston.

1. New England Patriots
2. Kansas City Chiefs
3. Pittsburgh Steelers
4. Houston Texans
5. Oakland Raiders
6. Miami Dolphins

My prediction is that Pittsburgh will travel to Kansas City and whoever survives the game in Houston will go to Foxboro. The Texans looked lost and disorganized today and the Raiders just can't seem to to do anything offensively without Carr at quarterback.

Pittsburgh/ KC will be brutal. I think this one will be "Last Man Standing". Winner gets to play the Patriots in Foxboro after a week in the Trainer's Room.

I don't think that could have played out any better. The DIV game should be manageable, and although both PIT & KC are tough teams, having them softened up by each other before coming to the Razor is a good thing.

 

[BigKen]

Here's the Playoff schedule and where the games can be seen.

Wild Card Weekend
Saturday, Jan. 7

AFC: (5) Oakland at (4) Houston, 4:30 p.m. ET (ESPN/ABC): If you love good quarterback play, this probably isn't the playoff game you want to watch. The 12-4 Raiders will be limping into Houston with either Connor Cook or Matt McGloin as their starter. The Texans won't be much better with either Brock Osweiler or Tom Savage as their starter. This will be the first time this season these two teams have played in America. Back in Week 11, the Raiders beat the Texans 27-20 in a game that was played in Mexico City. However, the Raiders had Derek Carr in that game, and they won't have him on Saturday.

NFC: (6) Detroit at (3) Seattle, 8:15 p.m. ET (NBC): This game could turn into a nightmare for the Lions because the Seahawks have basically been unbeatable at home in the playoffs. Since 2005, the Seahawks have played a total of nine playoff games at home and they've won them all. Then you have the Lions, who have never won a road playoff game in the Super Bowl era (0-10).

Sunday, Jan. 9

AFC: (6) Miami at (3) Pittsburgh, 1:05 p.m. ET (CBS): This will be a rematch of a game the Dolphins won 30-15 back in Week 6. However, things are going to be slightly different this time around. In the first game, Ben Roethlisberger got injured and the Steelers had to play in Miami. This time, the Steelers will be playing at home with a healthy Roethlisberger. The Dolphins will likely be starting Matt Moore, although there's an outside chance we could see Ryan Tannehill. The team has been hopeful that Tannehill will return for the playoffs, but right now, that seems like a long shot because he hasn't even returned to practice yet.


NFC: (5) New York Giants at (4) Green Bay, 4:40 p.m. ET (FOX): If there's one team that hates the Giants more than the Patriots -- who lost two Super Bowls to them -- it might be the Packers. The last two times the Giants had to travel to Lambeau Field for a playoff game (2007 and 2011), they won both times and ended up winning the Super Bowl in both years. Just like those two games, the Giants will bring a defense into Green Bay that could cause fits for the Packers offense.

Divisional Weekend
Saturday, Jan. 14

NFC: NY Giants/Seattle/Green Bay at (2) Atlanta, 4:35 p.m. ET (FOX): For the first time since 2012, the Falcons are back in the playoffs, and they're looking like they're going to be a tough team to beat. The big advantage for the Falcons is that every game they play for the rest of the postseason will be played indoors, which means Atlanta will get to show off its team speed. This is the fifth time since 1998 that the Falcons have earned a first-round bye. In their four previous appearances, they went 3-1 in the Divisional Round.

AFC: Houston/Oakland/Miami at (1) New England, 8:15 p.m. ET (CBS): The Patriots will kick off postseason play on Jan. 14 with a game against the worst remaining AFC seed. For Patriots fans, that's good news because it means New England will likely just have to beat a backup quarterback -- Tom Savage, Matt McGloin or Matt Moore -- to earn a berth into the AFC title game.

Sunday, Jan. 15

AFC: Pittsburgh/Oakland/Houston at (2) Kansas City, 1:05 p.m. ET (NBC): Getting a first-round bye has almost been a curse for the Chiefs. Since the the current playoff format was implemented in 1990, the Chiefs have earned a first-round bye three times (1995, 1997, 2003), and they went 0-3 combined in those three playoff appearances. On the bright side, Andy Reid is 16-2 all-time in games played after a bye week, and the Chiefs will be getting a bye before playing their first game.

NFC: Detroit/NY Giants/Green Bay at (1) Dallas, 4:40 p.m. ET (FOX): The Cowboys could end up facing the Giants in this game, which might cause a panic in Dallas. The Giants handed the Cowboys two of their three losses this year. If the Cowboys can win this game, they'd advance to the NFC Championship for the first time since 1995.

Championship Weekend
Sunday, Jan. 22


NFC: Worst remaining NFC seed at Best remaining NFC seed, 3:05 p.m. ET (FOX)

AFC: Worst remaining AFC seed at Best remaining AFC seed, 6:40 p.m. ET (CBS)

Super Bowl LI
Sunday, Feb. 5

AFC Champion vs. NFC Champion at NRG Stadium in Houston, 6:30 p.m. ET (FOX)